This week's games reviews

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 (reviewed)

After last year's mediocre Call Of Duty: World At War, developer Infinity Ward is back in the driving seat for Modern Warfare 2, which brings back a couple of grizzled soldiers from the first game for another fearsome round of machine gunning, this time in opposition to a Russian terror gang. From the outset, the sense of danger and confusion is palpable with the intense single-player campaign clocking in at around eight hours. You can tackle a significant set of challenge levels on your own or co-operatively, but, as with older brother Modern Warfare, it's the vast and detailed multiplayer modes that millions around the world will still be playing in six months' time. The early scene involving an airport massacre is probably the most disturbing in any game, displaying a rare seriousness of intent; however, the other hundreds of hours of entertainment it provides are just that.

Assassin's Creed II, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 (reviewed)

Like its predecessor, Assassin's Creed II takes place in the future, but is almost entirely played out in Renaissance Italy, with your character inhabiting the simulated body of a 15th-century playboy whose life turns serious when he discovers his family's involvement in an ancient dispute between the Knights Templar and the Assassins. Unpicking the game's conspiracies is mostly a case of killing all those involved, with your job turning from that of multiple blade-carrying delivery boy to hired killer as formative fetch-and-carry missions give way to the story proper. Most of the game is spent either in combat or free-running the game's rooftops and alleyways searching for or escaping from foes, and while the action isn't quite as smooth as the recent Uncharted 2, Assassin's Creed II is a sprawling and absorbing adventure that's a world away from the lame original. Also available is the impressively detailed Official Guide (Piggyback, £12.99) to help you wring every last florin out of your purchase.

A Boy And His Blob, Nintendo Wii

A Boy And His Blob is a remake of a game first released 20 years ago on the Nintendo Entertainment System in which a young man befriends a gelatinous creature from another world. Helpfully, your blob can be fed special beans that make it transform into a range of objects from an anvil to push on to the enemies' heads to a trampoline for reaching high platforms. Each level forms an elegant, self-contained puzzle, which, if solved correctly via the right platform hops and choice of beans to feed your blob, gives access to three secret treasure chests; collect all to unlock a new challenge stage. With a charmingly innocent art style almost reminiscent of the original Winnie The Pooh, it also features a hug button that triggers an animation so adorable you'll be using it despite the fact that it has no impact on the course of the game. Warm, welcoming and gentle, A Boy And His Blob is a mellow haven in a gaming universe thick with sharp knives and big guns.